Microsoft recently published a blog which talks about the frequency and predictability of new builds for Windows Insider. The blog authored by Gabe Aul of Microsoft highlights the most common questions they often get, such as ‘when are the new builds coming’ and ‘why is the delay in the appearance of the next builds’ etc. Gabe mentions that the blog answers both of these questions.
What is the timeline for faster builds for Windows Insider
The very first question Microsoft always gets regarding the new builds for Windows Insider is about the frequency of builds and where is Microsoft with the faster builds. Gabe says that Microsoft is ‘too conservative’ about pushing builds to the Fast ring for Windows Insiders.
Gabe Aul mentions in the blog,
“We’re having lots of discussions right now about how we should tune for this going forward, and have already made some changes in how we’re working. The reality is that faster builds to you will include more bugs, and so far we’ve erred on the side of stability. In the process though we’ve not had as much distinction between Fast and Slow. In our internal rings, our Canary ring probably sees 2X-3X as many builds as OSG because we catch problems in Canary and don’t push to OSG.”
Why can’t Microsoft always disclose the exact date for the next build?
Gabe observes that if the date for the next builds is revealed, the builds get published more slowly and have less fresh content. Here are the reasons mentioned for this:
- It creates tremendous pressure on the engineers if the date is announced. This pressure might reduce their productivity due to the obligation of completing their tasks before the deadline.
- Just to make sure that the new build is prefect and well-dealt with the bugs; Microsoft often chooses as date that is little further than the predicted one.
- People often ask, if the next builds are ready, then why not ship them immediately rather than waiting for the announced dates. Gabe mentions the reason that sometimes it’s better to ship the new builds on the said date, than creating unnecessary expectations in people’s minds for future builds.
- The date can also be missed due to bug tracking. It’s better to make people wait rather than delivering a product with bugs.
Chasing an announced date is really a tedious job for Microsoft. This blog certainly answers few question regarding the publishing of new builds for Windows Insider.
Read the complete blog about the next builds for Windows Insider at the Windows Blog.
